NEW YORK, December 14, 2024 (WAFA) – UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell has called for urgent global action to halt the daily suffering of Gaza's children, who continue to face bloodshed, hunger, disease, and cold amid the ongoing genocide in Gaza.
In a statement released on Saturday regarding the developments in Gaza, Russell stated that the world remains indifferent while Gaza's children are daily victims of violence and deprivation.
She particularly referred to the recent Israeli attack on the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza on Thursday, which pushed the number of children killed in Gaza in the past month to over 160, averaging four children per day since November.
The airstrike on Thursday killed 40 people, including children and women, and left dozens more injured. Russell emphasized that children in Gaza are "not responsible for the situation, nor do they have the ability to change it, yet they are paying the highest price with their lives and futures."
She also pointed out that over 14,500 children have been killed in the past 14 months, and 1.1 million children urgently need protection and psychological support.
Russell stressed that the threat of famine remains severe in northern Gaza, with humanitarian aid access being extremely limited. Children are facing shortages of food, clean water, medicine, and winter clothing, while preventable diseases like rashes and respiratory infections spread rapidly.
She concluded, "The world cannot remain indifferent while such a large number of children suffer daily from bloodshed, hunger, disease, and cold."